----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Scialli" <peter@benetech.org>
To: <arkenstone-users@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 12:40 PM
Subject: [Arkenstone] Bookshare.org Call for Beta Testers
Bookshare.org Beta Testers Needed!
Bookshare.org is a new community-based web site that enables individuals
to share scanned books. People with a qualifying print disability will
be able to download books from a library of tens of thousands of books
that were originally submitted by members and volunteers.
The development of Bookshare.org has been going very well. We are
thrilled with the support we have been getting from the community of
blind and other people with print-related disabilities. Half of the
website has already launched, so that volunteers can submit and help
process books to get them ready for publication to Bookshare.org.
As the web site evolves toward its launch in early 2002, we are in need
of beta testers to help evaluate all aspects of Bookshare.org's
functionality and usability. This includes, but is not limited to:
technical integrity, ease of use, and quality of the books themselves.
To be a beta tester for Bookshare.org, you should be comfortable with
using your computer on the World Wide Web. It is not necessary that you
be a technical wizard, just familiar with using your adaptive technology
on the Internet.
It is also helpful if you are someone who scans or reads a lot of books.
We will want to test our mechanisms for accepting book contributions as
well as delivering good quality content in the legally-required
specialized formats, NISO-DAISY 3.0 and BRF (digital Grade 2 Braille).
If you believe that you have both the time and ability to use
Bookshare.org and critically report on your experience, we may be
looking for you. We want the site to be ready for everyone to use as
soon as possible and expect to maintain extremely high standards in
terms of accessibility and content. We are especially looking for
people who:
* regularly read books that have been scanned by listening to them in a
synthetic voice
* regularly read books in Braille using a note taker, display or
embosser,
* have low vision, to help us to deliver the best experience for those
with some useable vision,
* have a print-related reading disability and benefit from adaptive
technology
Feel free to pass this announcement on to an individual or a group who
has a print-related disability. The Bookshare.org web site will greatly
benefit from beta tester' involvement at this stage.
You can learn more about Bookshare.org by visiting the site at
http://www.bookshare.org
If you are interested in being a beta tester, please contact our beta
test coordinator, Peter Scialli, by writing to him at
beta@bookshare.org.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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